About Holy Rosary · Loyalton, California
Holy Rosary Mission is a small Catholic mission parish in the rural community of Loyalton, in California's Sierra Valley, that serves the Catholic faithful of Sierra County. It functions as a mission of Holy Family Parish in nearby Portola (Plumas County), under the Diocese of Sacramento, and is currently administered by Parochial Administrator Rev. Brian Soliven. Weekly Mass is offered on Sunday morning and Wednesday midday, with the Sacrament of Confession available after Mass or by appointment and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament following the Wednesday Mass. The parish takes its name from the Rosary and is the spiritual home of a multi-generational rural Catholic community whose roots in Sierra Valley go back to the 1800s.
- Established
- 1954 (current church built; consecrated 1955; mission of Holy Family Parish since 1929)
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
- Rector
- Rev. Brian Soliven (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Sacramento
Why belong here
Holy Rosary Mission is the spiritual home of the small but devoted Catholic community of Loyalton and the wider Sierra Valley, offering the Sacrifice of the Mass twice a week (Sunday morning and Wednesday midday) along with Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, and the parish's own novena to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Worshippers are warmly welcomed into a parish family rooted in pioneer Catholic heritage dating to the 1800s, sustained today under Holy Family Parish and the Diocese of Sacramento. Visitors quickly notice the small, rural character that makes the mission its own community of faith while still being linked to Portola's broader parish life and ministries.
Mass times at Holy Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- After Sunday Mass (or by appointment)
- After Wednesday Mass (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Wednesdays, following the 12:10 p.m. Mass (per Holy Family Parish website)
History of Holy Rosary Mission, Loyalton
The Catholic presence in Sierra Valley goes back to the 1800s, when a Catholic church was built near the Sierra–Plumas County line on County Road A-23 and visited from Downieville. Loyalton became a mission church when Holy Family Parish in nearby Portola was established on November 10, 1929 by Bishop Robert J. Armstrong. The present Holy Rosary Church was built in 1954 and consecrated in 1955 under Father Thomas O'Brien, with Jim Davis as builder and Mr. Flannigan as designer. Detailed historical narrative — including the old cemetery, the pioneer statues carried into the new church, the move of the old church to the city Historical Park in 1984, and the long pastorates of Fathers McTague, McGoldrick, Schaffer, O'Brien, Corkell, Burns, Dare, Walsh, Siva, Vergara, Martinez, and current administrator Fr. Brian Soliven — is preserved in the Sacramento Diocesan Archives.
- 1800s: Pioneer Catholic church near Sierra–Plumas County line (County Road A-23); only the old Catholic cemetery remains.
- November 10, 1929: Holy Family Parish (Portola) established by Bishop Robert J. Armstrong; Loyalton included as mission church.
- 1929–1937: First pastor Father Patrick McTague (All Hallows College, Dublin; ordained 1926).
- 1946–1954: Father Arnold Schaffer launches capital drive (1953) for a new church in Loyalton.
- 1954: Holy Rosary Church built; consecrated 1955; statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph with the Christ Child moved from the old church.
- 1967–1998: Father Bernard Burns — thirty-year pastor; first RCIA in Loyalton; old church moved to Historical Park (1984); new social hall dedicated (1985).
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Holy Rosary Mission is currently administered as a mission of Holy Family Parish, Portola, by Parochial Administrator Rev. Brian Soliven as listed by the Diocese of Sacramento. The pastoral care of the Portola–Loyalton parish community has historically been shared between a single pastor and support clergy serving the wider region.
- Rev. Brian Soliven — Parochial Administrator (present)
- Past succession includes Frs. McTague, McGoldrick, Schaffer, O'Brien, Corkell, Burns, Dare, Walsh, Siva, Vergara (OSA), Martinez
Devotions & Ecumenical Life
The mission is best known locally for the novena to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, begun by Father Arlon Vergara, OSA, of the Order of St. Augustine, which gathers parishioners to honor the patron of the mission and is tied to the annual October 7 feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Holy Rosary Mission also reaches beyond its own walls through ecumenical prayer services hosted on Good Friday and September 11.
- Novena to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
- Annual patron feast day — October 7 (Our Lady of the Holy Rosary)
- Good Friday ecumenical prayer service
- September 11 ecumenical prayer service
Sacraments & Sacramental Preparation
Through its affiliation with Holy Family Parish, Portola, Holy Rosary Mission offers the standard Catholic sacraments — Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Reconciliation — together with RCIA for adults preparing to enter the Church. Under Father James Walsh (2004–) the parish re-established a formal RCIA process; it has roots going back to Father Bernard Burns's introduction of the first RCIA program in Loyalton in the late 1960s.
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation after Mass or by appointment
- Eucharistic Adoration (Wednesdays)
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
Music & Liturgical Heritage
Music and liturgical tradition are central to Holy Rosary's identity. Bonnie White was the church's first organist beginning in 1954/55 and remained its faithful organist for more than fifty years. Under Father Patrick Corkell (1961–1967) the parish implemented the early liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council: parishioners became lectors and Eucharistic ministers, the choir moved from the loft to the front of the church, and the altar was turned to face the congregation.
- Bonnie White — first organist, serving more than 50 years
- Parish choir (relocated to the front of the church under Vatican II reforms)
- Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
Facilities & Parish Buildings
The current Holy Rosary Church has stood since 1954, with a locally constructed altar railing that was the pride of the community and statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph with the Christ Child carried forward from the original 1800s-era church. In 1984 the old church was moved to the Loyalton City Historical Park, and a new parish social hall was raised in 1984 and dedicated in grand celebration in 1985 under Father Bernard Burns.
- Current Holy Rosary Church — built 1954, consecrated 1955
- Locally crafted altar railing
- Pioneer statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph with Christ Child (from original church)
- Old church relocated to Loyalton City Historical Park (1984)
- New parish social hall — dedicated 1985
Cemetery & Pioneering Catholic Heritage
Near the original 1800s Catholic church site, beside County Road A-23 near the Sierra–Plumas County line, the old Catholic cemetery remains as a tangible witness to the early Irish-immigrant Catholic community of Sierra Valley. Many of the graves belong to Irish pioneers whose descendants still worship at Holy Rosary today.
- Historic Catholic cemetery overlooking the original church site
- Mostly Irish-immigrant graves
- County Road A-23, near Sierra–Plumas County line
Contact Information & Visiting
Holy Rosary Mission is located in the heart of Loyalton, a small rural town in California's Sierra Valley (Sierra County). The mission shares its telephone line and pastoral coordination with Holy Family Parish in Portola. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead for current Mass and Adoration times.
- Address: 614 4th Street, Loyalton, CA 96118
- Phone: (530) 832-5006
- Diocese of Sacramento parish page: scd.org/parish/holy-rosary-mission-loyalton
- Parent parish (Holy Family, Portola): holyfamilyportola.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Patrick McTague1929–1937
First pastor of Holy Family Parish, Portola, with Loyalton as mission; All Hallows College, Dublin; ordained June 20, 1926.
- Father John McGoldrick1937–1946
Second pastor; assisted by Father Michael Myles (1944–1954); served Portola, Quincy, Greenville, and Loyalton.
- Father Arnold Schaffer1946–1954
Launched the first capital drive in 1953 to build a new church in Loyalton.
- Father Thomas O'Brien1954–1961
Built and completed the present Holy Rosary Church (1954, consecrated 1955).
- Father Patrick Corkell1961–1967
Implemented early Vatican II liturgical changes including relocating the altar rail.
- Father Bernard Burns1967–1998
Thirty-year pastor; began RCIA in Loyalton; oversaw 1984 relocation of old church and 1984–85 build of new social hall.
- Father Glenn Dare1998–2004
Focused on retiring the parish-hall debt.
- Father James Walsh2004–
Added the Wednesday 12:10 p.m. Mass, Spanish elements at Sunday Masses, and a renewed RCIA process.
- Father Renier Sivaappointed 2009
Appointed parish administrator by Bishop Soto.
- Father Arlon Vergara, OSA
Order of St. Augustine; began Good Friday and September 11 ecumenical prayer services and the novena to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.
- Father Joyle Martinez
Served as parish administrator.
- Rev. Brian Solivenpresent
Current Parochial Administrator (Diocese of Sacramento listing).